


Between Sorrow and Bliss

by LazuliAlekto



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Noct has a very low opinion of himself, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Recovery, References to Depression, Regis and Clarus are tag team troll dads, Rimming, Suicide Attempt, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-09-20 17:12:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17026767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazuliAlekto/pseuds/LazuliAlekto
Summary: “We…we shouldn’t be doing this, Noct,” he murmured.  “You’re drunk.”“So are you,” Noct accused.“That doesn’t make it any better.”





	1. Chapter 1

  Ignis was drunk.

  Noct was in an even worse state.

  The other two had left after far too many heated glances and inappropriate touches.  The Prince and Advisor were both accustomed to the couple being affectionate in public, but that evening had been particularly embarrassing.

  Ignis and Noct had stayed behind at the bar in order to allow them time to get it out of their system by the time they headed back to the hotel.  Ignis desperately hoped that an hour or so was enough.  Once the couple departed there had been little to do other than drink and talk, yet neither man seemed in the mood to converse.  Noct was locked in his own world, staring down into his glass, while Ignis had stolen far too many glances in his direction trying to discern his thoughts, and examine his own messed up emotions.  He was jealous of the fact that Gladio and Prompto could be together.  He wanted the same thing.  Only problem was that he had no clue whether or not the object of his affections had any feelings for him.  Though, that wasn’t the __only__  problem.  Duty, propriety, the incongruity of their positions…

  Noct was flushed and bleary eyed as Ignis steered him through the streets back to the Leville.  They were both staggering more than a little, weaving around other people with overtly extreme care, Ignis trying to place his feet so that he wouldn’t stumble.  Noct clung to him like a limpet.

  Noct leaned against Ignis heavily as he attempted to slot the key to their room in the lock, trying to juggle a drunk Prince and keep himself upright.  After a moment of fumbling he got the door open and both of them staggered through, Noct almost collapsing.  Ignis gripped his arm and placed a finger to his lips.  Noct nodded, an exaggerated motion that unbalanced him.  Ignis wrapped an arm around his waist, leading him to their bedroom.  

  Noct flopped onto the bed with a sigh, arm thrown over his face.

  Ignis gave a sigh of his own as he gracelessly slumped on his knees and began tugging at the laces on Noct’s boots, “it appears they are asleep,” he muttered as he worked.

  A low groan sounded through the paper thin wall that adjoined their bedroom to Gladio and Prompto’s.

  Noct leaned up on his elbows and rolled his eyes, “spoke too soon, Specs.”

  Ignis thudded his head against Noct’s knee, “bloody hell.”

  “C’mon, let’s just get inta bed, they can’t go all night…can they?”  Noct gave Ignis such a hopeful look that Ignis could only grimace and shrug.  Noct tilted his head, Ignis seeing the cogs turning in his drink addled brain.  “Aw shit.”

  Ignis thudded back on his ass when he pulled Noct’s boots off, grumbling as he twisted onto his knees and stood shakily.  He toed his own boots off and fumbled with his shirt, then hopped around the edge of the bed as he struggled to release his legs from his pants.  Noct meanwhile had ripped his t-shirt up over his head and was wriggling out of his own cargo shorts.

  “Under the covers, Noct,” Ignis stage whispered, trying to get Noct to roll enough to get the covers open to slip inside.  Noct groaned and grumbled as he writhed and flopped down onto the sheet.  Ignis slid himself under the covers and tugged them up over Noct, effectively tucking him in.  He slid his glasses off and placed them on the stand beside the bed.

  He let out a sigh of relief as he laid back, staring at the ceiling in the dim light coming through a gap in the curtains.  Soft moans and grunts were still coming through the wall.  Noct buried his head under his pillow, eyes glazed as he peered out at Ignis.  Ignis quirked his lip when he rolled to his side.

  They both snorted when they heard Prompto giggling from next door, Gladio’s low rumble warning the little blonde to be quiet.

  “Bit fuckin’ late for that,” Noct grumbled under his breath.

  Ignis let his eyes close and he may have dozed off for a moment, startling when a soft moan sounded next to him.

  Blinking blearily he gasped when Noct rolled towards him, leg tangling with Ignis’.  

  “Noct?  Are you alright?” Ignis asked quietly.

  “Mmm, c’mere, Speccy,” Noct mumbled, reaching out with his arm to drape it over Ignis’ middle.

  Ignis shuffled closer, hand tugging the pillow off Noct’s head so he could see better.  He pushed the dishevelled mess of Noct’s hair away, stroking Noct’s cheek.

  “Noct?”

  He’d thought perhaps Noct was feeling ill, or maybe had been woken by a nightmare, seeking comfort from Ignis as he had as a child.

  Ignis was wrong.

  Very, very wrong.

  Noct snuggled against him, Ignis stifling a groan as he felt something hard rub against his thigh.  Then Noct surged forward, pressing their mouths together in a sloppily applied kiss.  Ignis pulled back, eyes wide as he searched Noct’s gaze.  Noct’s hand crept up, tangling in Ignis’ hair, urging him back in.

  “Please,” Noct whispered, rubbing his nose along Ignis’.

  Ignis was a weak man, he was drunk, and the man he had been lusting over for years was begging him for a kiss.  What was he to do other than comply?

  He stroked Noct’s face as he dipped his head, pressing their mouths together again, Noct melting against him.  He mewled softly as Noct’s lips parted and his tongue slid along Ignis’, seeking entry.  His own mouth opened of its own volition, flicking the tip of his tongue over Noct’s, the lingering taste of scotch and something inherently Noct overwhelming him.  Their hands began to wander over warm skin as they shifted together under the covers, chests, hips and legs flush.  

  Ignis dragged his foot up Noct’s calf, lips moving languorously over Noct’s.

  He shouldn’t be letting it happen, he __knew__ that, but he wanted it so badly.

  When Noct gripped his ass and squeezed Ignis pulled back with a gasp, placing a hand to Noct’s chest, shaking his head ruefully.

  “We…we shouldn’t be doing this, Noct,” he murmured.  “You’re drunk.”

  “So are you,” Noct accused.

  “That doesn’t make it any better.”

  “You don’t want to?”  Noct’s eyes filled with tears, voice so sad Ignis’ heart skipped.

  “I…Gods, no, I didn’t say that.”  He sighed deeply, “We can’t… _I can’t._ ”

  “Fuck,” Noct swore, “I’m sorry.”

  Ignis leaned their foreheads together, arms wrapping around Noct, “you have nothing to apologise for, I am sorry I let it happen.”  Noct stiffened against him, “I do not mean to say I didn’t like it, but…”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Noct muttered morosely, hanging his head.

  Ignis tilted his face up, “please, please understand this…if…if things were different, I would love nothing more, honestly, Noct,” he said softly.

  “Really,” Noct sniffed.

  “Have I ever lied to you, sneaking vegetables into your meals notwithstanding?” Ignis asked, injecting levity into the conversation.

  Noct choked out a laugh, pleasing Ignis that he’d gotten that much out of him.  “No, you don’t lie to me.”

  “I will always be with you, I promise,” Ignis murmured.  “No matter what happens, Noct, I’ll be there with you.”

  Noct snuffled, burying his face in Ignis’ chest, clinging to him, “I couldn’t do any of it without you, Ignis.”

  “Come now, let’s get some sleep while those two are quiet,” Ignis coaxed Noct back down, arms still wrapped around his Prince.  His brain was whirling, heart aching.  Sleep was a long time coming.

 

  Ignis had feared the late night indiscretion would result in Noct pulling away from him, yet that was not the case.  Sometimes he would smile at Ignis sadly and Ignis would dip his head, unable to deal with his own swirling emotions, but generally they were the same as always.

  It was a comfort.

  And he congratulated himself for the fact neither of the other two had picked up on anything.  Or so he thought.

  The night of Noct’s twenty-first birthday he had apparently exposed himself.

  He hadn’t meant to, of course he hadn’t, but it appeared that when he was drunk things tended to get out of hand incredibly fast.

  Noct had invited his friends and several of the Glaive that he liked, who had brought along a few more and his apartment was rather filled with people in various states of inebriation, some dancing, most sitting and some standing around talking.  Prompto was holed up in a corner chatting with one of the female Glaive, while Gladio lounged back on the couch with Crowe, flexing while Crowe looked mildly amused.  Ignis knew she was used to extreme male posturing, particularly from Nyx and Libertus, her self appointed brothers, so she was handling Gladio rather adeptly.  He wasn’t worried about it, Gladio was like that with everyone and he was rather attached to Prompto.

  Noct was playing his music, music that Ignis often had been subjected to over the years, but the current set was something that Ignis had found himself enjoying, and humming as he worked much to his secretary’s amusement.

  He wasn’t sure how it happened.

   _ _It__  began with himself dancing with Noctis.  Ignis waved his hands languidly in the air, head bobbing, hips twitching in time with the current song, one he particularly liked, as did Noct apparently.  It started with a whistling refrain that was repeated over and over with a medium tempo.  As the chorus, a slower more swaying appropriate tempo kicked in he found Noct had closed the distance between them, placing his hands on Ignis’ hips.  Ignis brought his arms down and draped them over Noct’s shoulders, the pair swaying in time, ignorant of the rest of the room noticing.

  “ _And in the end, I’d do it all again, I think your my best friend,_ ” Ignis sang softly.

  Noct grinned, tightening his grip, joining in.

  They only noticed everyone else when the chorus became a shouted refrain around the room.

  “ _Don’t you know that the kid’s aren’t al…the kid’s aren’t alright!_ ”

  Noct threw his head back and laughed.

  As the song wound down, the room erupted in everyone whistling the last bars, then someone shouted “AGAIN!”

  It started up and this time everyone jumped up, bouncing around the room, shouting along.  Ignis laughed along with Noct, still close, still with their arms around each other.

  When the song finished to raucous whistling, Noct tugged Ignis and led him out to the balcony, giggling.  They both collapsed against the balustrade, catching their breath next to each other.

  “I’ve never heard you sing,” Noct said after a moment.

  Ignis shrugged, “is that what I was doing?”  He chuckled ruefully.  “I quite like that one, I find myself humming it at work a lot.”

  “Yeah?”  Noct peered up at him curiously.

  “Indeed, it’s quite catchy and I hear it when you are going over reports,” he shot a grin at Noct.  “You will be absorbed in your reading, bobbing your head along to it.”

  Noct looked up at him shyly, voice hushed and low, “ _and it’s our time now if you want it to be._ ”  The words not exactly sung, but Ignis recognised them.

  And the intent behind them.

  Noct shuffled closer so that they were almost touching, chin lifted defiantly, lips parted.

  Ignis swallowed, throat bobbing with the movement as he turned to face Noct properly.  Without thought, his hand came up to brush the hair out of Noct’s eyes, halting when he realised what he was doing.  Noct leaned into his hand, eyes locked on Ignis’, pleading.

  Noct’s hands found their way to Ignis’ waist, his eyes darting down to Ignis’ lips, then back up again, pining Ignis in place.  Ignis inched closer, their breath mingling.

  A shout from inside broke them apart, Ignis lamenting the loss of contact, Noct staring at the ground at his feet.

  Through the haze of alcohol and arousal, Ignis swore under his breath, running his hand through his hair.

  He’d almost kissed Noct again.

  

  “Gladio, I am an idiot,” Ignis moaned.

  “Hardly,” Gladio snorted.

  “No, I really am,” Ignis said softly.  “I have…I am in a situation that I…bloody hell, I don’t know what to do.  On one hand it is decidedly wrong for me to…feel a certain way about someone, yet…Gods, I can’t help it.  And he feels the same, but…”

  Gladio grunted, “so, you’re admitting it, finally.”

  Ignis’ head snapped up, fixing Gladio with a glare, “what?”

  “Noct,” Gladio said simply, not in the least perturbed by Ignis staring him down.

  “Am I…Am I really that transparent?”

  “To me, yeah, you are.”

  Ignis thudded his head on the table, groaning, “what am I going to do?”

  “Kiss him,” Gladio shrugged.

  Ignis raised his head a little, cheeks heating, “I already did.”

  That made Gladio choke, “what?  When?”

  “At the Leville, when we staying there a few months ago…and then I almost did it again the night of his birthday,” Ignis confessed with a sigh.

  Gladio frowned, “so…uhh, what’s the problem?”

  “He’s the _Prince_ , Gladiolus,” Ignis hissed.  “I can’t!  I shouldn’t!”

  “Still don’t see the problem, he’s still a person, Iggy.”

  Ignis was flummoxed.  How could Gladio not see the inherent issues with it?  “I am in a position of trust, I have a duty, to him and the Crown.”

  “Would you ever hurt him?” Gladio asked.

  “No, never,” Ignis asserted.  He shook his head, not even able to consider the idea.  “Never.”

  “Wouldn’t how you feel make you more inclined to protect him?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “There are no ‘but’s Ignis,” Gladio crossed his arms across his chest.  “The way I see it, you have two choices here.  Either you go for it, deal with the consequences and you both get to be happy.  Or you let him go entirely, move on and break both your hearts in the process.”

  “That’s…not exactly helpful,” Ignis wheezed.

  “It is what it is, Iggy.”

 

  Sparring with Noctis is more like a dance.  They move around each other in concert like they are drawn to each other’s orbit.  Sizing each other up with lingering glances, close enough to see beads of sweat as they roll down flushed skin, hear the restrained panting breaths they both make.  Ignis muses that if they were to reach out and press their palms together, they would be dancing in fact, a courting dance from Tenebrae.

  The thought disarms him, distracts him enough that Noct sees the opening for what it is and pounces on it.

  Ignis blinked up at Noct from his position on the floor, pushing at him and rolling away to spring to his feet, trying desperately to maintain some semblance of composure.

  There is a very good reason Ignis and Noct haven’t sparred like this, alone in the training arena, for a while.  He feels it in the heat that blooms across his cheeks that has nothing to do with exertion.  

  It’s been winding it’s way through Ignis since the Prince turned 18 and suddenly he didn’t seem like the pretty teen any more and more the disconcertingly attractive man he was now.  That coupled with Noct’s coming out several weeks later had conspired to turn Ignis into a gay disaster in the making.  He had tried to leave the thoughts of Noct behind, of course he had.  He was Ignis Scientia after all was said and done.

  That had led to an ill conceived affair with Nyx Ulric which had turned into a purely mutually beneficial agreement for sexual gratification when they both needed it.  Nyx wasn’t one for love affairs and Ignis was unable to give his heart to anyone but Noctis.  While Ignis hadn’t told Nyx who it was that held him back, he had the distinct impression the Glaive knew exactly who it was.

  Nyx was pragmatic, older, secure enough in himself that sex with Ignis meant what he said it meant and nothing more.  And Ignis had found a friend through it, one that he treasured.

  They had long since excluded sex from their encounters, Nyx declining the last time Ignis had offered, shaking his head.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Igs, and you know why,” Nyx had told him.  “It’s not that fucking you isn’t fun and hot as hell, but it’s not helping your heart.”

  He’d known Nyx was right, damn him.  And while he did miss the physical gratification Nyx had provided, he knew the Glaive had been right.

  His heart had ached for Noct.  It still did.

  “You’re distracted,” Noct accused, startling Ignis out of his reverie.

  He cleared his throat, “apologies.”  Straightening his shoulders and gripping his daggers, Ignis shifted his weight, focusing as best he could.

  Noct pursed his lips, frowning.

  “So, why did you agree to this is if you’re so…” Noct muttered, waving his free hand and letting his sword fall to his side.

  Why, indeed?

  The answer, of course, was that Ignis needed to be around Noct in any capacity he could.

  He didn’t say that, however.

  “I wished to see how you have improved for myself.”

  Noct’s eyes narrowed, searching for the lie he seemed to instinctively know was there.  Ignis is lucky it’s not entirely a lie, more like a brief truncation of the truth.  A small part of the whole.  Noct grunted, feet shuffling as he shifted his weight, blue eyes flicking imperceptibly over Ignis.

  “You’ve been distracted a lot lately, why is that?”

  Ignis didn’t answer, instead spinning out of the reach of Noct’s blade.  He had hoped no-one would notice, obviously to no avail.  Daydreaming about Noctis had become something far too prevalent, particularly when he was meant to have his focus on something else.

  He was starting to make mistakes and that could not be borne.  

  He was yet to discover a way to alleviate it, no matter how much he pondered the subject.

  A rock and a hard place.

  Shaking his head loose of his mental meanderings, Ignis stalked closer, flicking his wrists to adjust the grip on his daggers.  Noct raised a brow at his lack of response, letting it slide for now in favour of showing Ignis precisely what he had learned.

  They were both sweating profusely after an hour of dancing back and forth.  Noct had derailed Ignis by lifting his shirt front to wipe at his face, exposing the lines, dips and valleys of his abdominals, having to almost stumble to where his bottle of water was stashed with his bag in order to calm himself before they continued.

  “Once more,” Ignis said, voice thick.

  Noct nodded, a glint of determination lighting his eyes and Ignis gulped.

  He had a very bad feeling about what was to come, a stone settling in his stomach.

  They spun around each other again and again, then Noct used one of his own moves on him, sweeping his legs out from under him so that he collapsed back, breath expelling from his lungs in a whoosh.  He had no time to gather his legs and stand, Noct pouncing on him and pining him in place, wrists held above his head so that his daggers skittered away.

  Ignis blinked up at him in panic.

  Noct was straddling his waist, dangerously close to his groin, which was far from complaining about the situation he found himself in.  Noct shifted, his ass brushing Ignis’ cock as it filled out and pushed against his loose pants.  The glint was back in Noct’s eyes, a touch more dangerous this time as he dipped his head down.  Ignis was fixated on Noct, unable to tear his eyes away, reflexively licking his lips, Noct tracking the path his tongue took.

  Laying there, completely at Noct’s mercy, Ignis keened when Noct moved again, rolling his pelvis to grind against him, sparks of friction flitting through Ignis’ veins.

  Hot breath on his cheek, Noct’s eyes still locked on his.

  Ignis gasped as Noct darted his head forward, lips ghosting over the shell of his ear.

  “Yield.”

  Ignis whined, “please.”  He wasn’t even sure what he was begging for at this point.

  Noct took it as a plea, tilting his head and their mouths crashed together, lips moulding to the others easily.  Noct’s hands moved from Ignis’ wrists, framing his face and Ignis immediately tangled his fingers in Noct’s hair, deepening the kiss with a swipe of his tongue that Noct opened up for with a groan.

  Gods, what was he thinking?

  Ignis pushed at Noct, dislodging him and rolling to his feet, chest heaving as he raked his hands through his hair.

  “You don’t want this?”

  Ignis was fully aware he could break their hearts with his answer, so he simply chose not to, stalking to his bag and sweeping out of the room before he could change his mind.

 

  Noct was avoiding him, barely speaking when he couldn’t find somewhere else to be, unfailingly polite, clipped in his tone.

  Ignis felt it was utterly deserved.

  Prompto and Gladio quickly picked up on the tension, even so far as to refrain from their normal joking behaviour.  Then it began to bleed out to other members of staff, Ignis grumpy and short tempered with everyone, Noct moody and silent.

  Ignis was going over some reports with Clarus when he received a summons to meet with the King.  He excused himself and walked the short distance to Regis’ office, halting when he heard the rumble of raised voices inside.

  One was Noctis.

  The other Regis himself, sounding like he was confused.

  “Just send him, he doesn’t want to be here anyway!” Noct shouted.

  Regis spoke again, Ignis unable to discern the words, then Noct replying.

  A few moments later, Noct wrenched the door open, Regis calling out to him.  Noct spotted Ignis lingering in the outer office, his face thunderous as he brushed past.  Regis appeared in the doorway a moment later, harried, confusion painting his features.

  “Ignis, please come in.”

  Ignis stepped in closing the door behind him with a soft click and standing before Regis’ desk, sweat rolling down his spine.

  “Your Majesty?”

  The King sighed deeply, “there is a diplomatic meeting in Tenebrae and we are sending two members of our council.  It has been _suggested_  that you be sent along.”

  Ignis stiffened, surmising that Noct had just told Regis to get rid of him.

  “Oh,” he said dumbly, staring at his feet, ashamed.

  “Ignis,” Regis said sternly.  “I am not aware of what the issue is between you and my son, however it may be prudent to allow you both time to cool down.”

  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THE TAGS  
> The suicide attempt is in this chapter, you don't SEE it, but the aftermath is described a little.  
> Depression is a bitch

  

  Two months, one week and three days.

  Ignis sat morosely staring at the shifting skyline, arms wrapped around his knees.

  He was meant to only be in Tenebrae a few weeks, three at most, yet here he was.  Still.

  The two members of the council had made a sport of arguing and prolonging the talks, while Ignis had grown considerably more irritable with each squabble over something inherently trivial.  The urge to stab one of them in the eye, or himself was becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

  Two months, one week and four days since he’d last caught sight of Noctis.

  Two months, three weeks since they last spoke.

  He’d tried calling, over and over.  Only to have his calls ignored.

  Likewise with each message he sent.

  He’d resorted to letters.

  Those too went unanswered.

  Noct had every right to be angry, he’d done nothing but give his Prince mixed messages and then refused to confirm or deny how he felt.

  A heavy sigh left him, he wished so desperately to go home, and had the sneaking suspicion that he was being kept away, possibly at Noct’s behest.  He had no way of truly knowing how his _please, Noct, speak to me_ , or the _I am so very sorry_ ’s had been received.  He had been repeating himself into the void, knowing those words were not what he needed to say.

  A  polite cough jolted him form his thoughts, turning to find Ravus he staggered to his feet and executed a swift bow.

  Ravus waved away the attempt at protocol, something that he had in common with Noct bringing another painful twist to his chest.

  “At ease, Scientia,” Ravus said quietly.  He extended a padded envelope to Ignis.  “This was delivered and I thought to find you here,” he said, motioning to the field of sylleblossoms that Ignis had retreated to.  “It is a good place to be alone with one’s thoughts.”

  “Yes,” Ignis replied, equally as quiet as Ravus.  The Prince held out the envelope again, delivering it into Ignis’ hands.  He turned it over absently, sure it was simply another missive from Clarus.  It bore the post mark of Lucis, but the handwriting gave him pause.

  He glanced at Ravus, the Prince stepping away to allow him privacy.  Ignis knelt with his parcel, tracing his fingers over the handwritten address.

  It was from Noctis.

  Hands trembling, Ignis tore it open, making a soft noise of surprise when a small, carefully wrapped object landed in his lap, followed by a sheet of folded paper.

  He began to read eagerly, his happiness at finally receiving something from Noct replaced with rising terror.

  The tone was…off.  Morose, something of the note of finality frightening him.  It sounded like a goodbye, a farewell.  He dropped the letter in favour of the small wrapped object.  Carefully folded in a silk handkerchief, a little carved blue-green figure fell into his palm.

  Carbuncle.

_I send this to you, I know you understand what it has meant to me, I won’t need it any more and I want you to have it.  It’s my most precious possession and I feel it belongs with you now.  As I won’t see you for your birthday, the first since we met that we aren’t together, I hope this makes up for it._

Noct would never give this away.

  He read the next lines again, bile rising in his throat.

  _I hadn’t been able to sleep, even with Carbuncle, so I went to my doctor.  I have pills now.  They will give me what I need._

“Oh Gods, no,” Ignis whispered, hurriedly pulling out his phone and immediately dialling Noct.

  No answer again.  And again.

  Shaking like a leaf, Ignis rose unsteadily and ran to Ravus where he stood at the edge of the field.

  “Your Highness, please, I need your assistance,” Ignis called as he approached.

  Ravus turned to him, frowning at Ignis’ distressed state, “what is it?”

  “I must get back to Lucis, immediately!”

  Ravus’ frown deepened, sensing something was terribly wrong, “I can organise a flight on the postal airship tomorrow.”

  “Is there not something faster, sooner?” Ignis asked, clutching the letter and Carbuncle tightly in his fists.

  Ignis’ phone vibrated.  Gladio’s name on the screen.  “Gladio,” Ignis answered tersely, “where is Noct?”

  “Shit, I was calling to ask you where he might go, he’s vanished.”

  Ignis keened in distress, “Gods, he sent me a letter…I am…he sounded…Gladio, I’m frightened.”  He wracked his brains, trying to think where Noct might hide himself away.  “Have you tried the roof, the gardens?”

  “Yeah, and we tried the garage where the Regalia is kept with the Star, nothing.”

  “The GPS on his phone?” Ignis questioned sharply.

  “Turned off I think, there’s no sign of it,” Gladio answered.

  “I am trying to get back, I’ll call you if I can think of where he might be,” Ignis snapped, ending the call.  Ravus’ mismatched eyes watched him warily.

  “I will take you back myself, be ready in half an hour,” Ravus told him, hand to his back, guiding him towards the Manor.

 

  Ignis paced back and forth in the hold of Ravus’ personal airship, panic and desperation increasing the longer the journey took.  He’d called Noct’s phone several times, wanting to fling it away each time it rang out.

_Noct, darling, please, I beg you, please answer._

_There is so much we need to say to each other._

He stared at his phone, blinking when it registered that the message had been read.  Fingers trembling, he dialled again.

  “Iggy,” Noct’s voice, so quiet, slurring Ignis’ name.

  “Noct!  Gods, are you alright?  Where are you?”

  Silence, then Noct’s voice, whispering down the line, “it’s warm here, comfortable, wanted to be somewhere that felt…like home.”

  “Oh Noct, please my love, tell me where you are?” Ignis begged, pleaded.  His mind was racing, discarding possibilities and searching for new ones.

  There was a muffled sound, then the line went dead and Ignis screamed in frustration.  He fumbled with his phone, calling Gladio.

  “I just spoke to him, he doesn’t sound good, Gladio, he didn’t tell me where he was but perhaps you can search for his phone again, narrow down where he was when the call went through,” Ignis blurted down the line, resuming his pacing.  “He mentioned pills in his letter…I…shit.”

  “Tell me what he said,” Gladio growled down the phone, other voices going quiet around him.

  “He said he was warm, comfortable, somewhere that felt like home,” Ignis told him.  “He was slurring, Gladio.”

  “Fuck, I knew he was depressed, Prompto said it was bad…”

  “It’s all my fault, Gladio, we have to find him, I have to find him,” Ignis sobbed, sinking to his knees.  “Why did no-one tell me how bad it was?”

  “He made us promise.  He’d been drinking heavily…and then it stopped, he seemed…not happy, but…settled.”

  Ravus’ voice broke through, announcing over the intercom that they had reached the borders of Lucis and would be in Insomnia within the hour.

  “I’ll be there in about an hour,” Ignis informed Gladio, trying to gather his composure.  “I’ll try to call him again.”

  Ignis had reached Noct once more in the hour since he spoke to him last, the Prince even less coherent than before.  He kept babbling and Ignis kept trying to get him to tell him where he was.

  “M’sorry, won’t get to tell you…”

  “Noct, yes, yes you will, anything you want to say, I will listen, just please tell me where you are so I can come to you.”

  “Safe, with you.”

  The line went dead again.

  Gladio called just as Ignis was heading out the back of the airship.

  “He’s in the vicinity of Lux et Umbrae, that’s the closest we can tell.”

  Ignis halted, the Royal Museum.  That was near his personal apartment.

  Putting Gladio on hold, Ignis checked his emails, a specific one he’d disregarded out of habit opening at a tap of his finger.  A notification that his apartment had been entered with the use of his code.  At the time, he’d thought it merely the neighbour he’d asked to water his plants, but now…

  He glanced towards the Citadel, then towards where his apartment was situated half a block from the museum.

  Decision made, Ignis ran, “my apartment, I think he’s there,” he shouted to Gladio, “I’m not far, about a block away, we landed in the gardens.”

  “Right, meet you there.”

  Ignis sprinted down the path to the entrance of the gardens, thoughts tumbling.  Noct said he wanted to be where he felt at home, safe, warm and comfortable.  He remembered the many times Noct had been in his apartment, times he had arrived unannounced when nightmares plagued him, seeking the comfort that Ignis had provided when he was young.

  As he reached the street, Ignis swerved around several pedestrians, not even pausing to apologise for his headlong flight.  He ran through what he had on him to try and help Noct when he found him.  Not __if__ , when.  He would find Noct.  He couldn’t allow himself to think any other way.

  He had a full stock of potions and the like in the Armiger, mentally dismissing those he knew would be of no use.  

  He came to a halt, breathing hard.

  A Mega Pheonix.  

  Linked as he was to Noct, Gladio and Prompto, the Mega Pheonix worked on all of them at once, cleansing any poisons or ailments, bringing them back from the brink of death.  Ignis could use one on himself now, and it would help Noct even if he weren’t right by his side.

  Rummaging through the Armiger, he withdrew the precious feather and crushed it against his chest, ignoring the curious looks of the people around him.  He took off again, energised by the Mega Pheonix.

  He skidded to a halt outside his apartment building hearing the squeal of tyres ahead, seeing Gladio launch himself out of one of the Crownsguard vehicles, closely followed by Cor.

  “The Mega Pheonix, was that you?” Gladio shouted as he ran towards him.

  “Yes,” Ignis called over his shoulder, wrenching the door open.

  “Smart,” Cor panted as he followed them inside.

  Ignis ignored the elevator, not wanting to wait for it, needing to feel he was doing something other than standing as it made its journey higher into his building.  He took the steps three at a time, sending a prayer of thanks for his long legs.  He could hear the thunder of Gladio and Cor following him, and reached the third floor landing.  His floor.

  His fingers were shaking as he input the code at his door, slamming it open.  He looked about frantically, no Noct in sight.  Gods, had he been wrong?

  Bedroom.

  Gladio and Cor were saved from barrelling into Ignis as he shot forward again.

  Short rasping breaths reached his ears, his own, his eyes finding the hunched trembling form of Noct on his bed, curled around one of Ignis’ pillows.  Ignis landed on the bed beside him, cupping his face, heedless of the vomit pooling on the covers, too intent on finding a pulse.

  Weak and thready, but it was there, faintly informing him Noct was still alive.  He wiped away the tear tracks on Noct’s clammy face, pushing his hair back.  He glanced back at Gladio and Cor, nodding sharply.

  Cor pulled out his phone, barking orders into it as Gladio joined him on the bed, helping Ignis stretch Noct out on his side, tilting his head gently to keep his airway clear.

  Noct heaved, purging his stomach, eye lids opening to reveal the reddened white of his eyes.  Gladio shifted off the bed as Ignis held Noct, heading for the bathroom and returning with several damp cloths.  Ignis snatched one from him, wiping at Noct’s face and neck.

  “You are not going to do this to me, Noct, do you hear me?” Ignis hissed, leaning close to Noct’s face.  “We can fix this, we __will__  fix this.”

  Noct coughed weakly, one hand clutching at Ignis’ thigh.  “M’sorry.”

  Ignis sobbed in relief, hearing Noct’s faint voice.

  “No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for, it was all my fault,” he murmured, pressing his lips to Noct’s sweaty forehead.  “I am so sorry I made you feel I didn’t care.”

  Everything else around Ignis bled away to nothing, the only thing that mattered was Noctis.

 

  After several attempts no-one tried to peel Ignis away from Noct, leaving him where he was, clasping Noct’s hand tightly in his own.  Not even the arrival of Regis could sway him, pleading with his eyes as Regis moved to take up position on the other side of Noct’s hospital bed.

  “I am sorry, Your Majesty, I am to blame for this,” Ignis murmured.

  “Ignis, no,” Regis scolded softly.  “My son has always suffered from depression, you know that.”

  “Yes, but…”

  “No buts, Ignis.”  Regis sighed.  “Whatever it is that happened between you two, it was merely a trigger for what is already an issue for my son.  He labours under the idea that he is not good enough and will never be good enough.”  Regis fixed Ignis with a compassionate hazel green stare.  “You are not to blame, I have always been frightened he would attempt this at some point.”  He sighed again, glancing back down at Noct.  “I am going to insist on therapy this time.”

  Ignis winced.  Every time therapy had been suggested Noct  had resisted.

  This time, however, things had gone too far and Noct was not going to brush it off with false bravado.  Ignis would drag him to his appointments personally.

  He threaded his fingers through Noct’s hair, morose despite Regis’ attempt at soothing his guilt.

  “I left him,” Ignis whispered.

  “You did no such thing, he insisted you go to Tenebrae, I should have insisted you stay.”

  Ignis looked up from Noct sharply, noting the guilt lacing Regis’ tone.  Gods, he should have realised the King would feel that way about his son, his only son.  It helped put things in perspective.  There were many instances they had all ignored what was right under their noses.  The more he thought about it, the more Ignis realised he definitely wasn’t the only one who felt responsible.  He was sure Gladio, as Noct’s Shield, was berating himself as well.  Prompto most likely felt he had his own share of guilt.

  “We will all be there for him, Majesty,” Ignis murmured.

  “Yes, we will,” Regis agreed.

 

  Noctis was surprisingly compliant on the issue of therapy, shrugging his shoulders, mumbling acceptance.

  “I need help,” Noct said quietly when Ignis pressed him.

  “And we will get it for you, Noct, I promise,” Ignis whispered.  “When things are a little more…settled, you and I will have a talk, a long overdue talk,” he added, brushing the hair out of Noct’s eyes.  “That is, if you still…”

  Noct placed his hand over Ignis’, leaning into his palm, “that’s one thing that won’t change, Speccy.”

  Ignis let out the breath he’d held, his shoulders relaxing.  

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Noct grunted, an almost amused sound and Ignis blinked several times, not thinking to hear such a thing.

  Noct shrugged at Ignis’ tentatively questioning expression, “I know how you feel, Ignis, I tried to tell myself I was wrong, I tried to hate you even, but I…”  He trailed off, staring out the window as if looking at Ignis was too hard.

  “I am so very sorry I let you doubt me,” Ignis murmured, threading his fingers through Noct’s.  “I was scared and such a bloody coward.”

  Noct did laugh at that, shaking his head so his unruly locks flipped around his face, “we both acted like idiots, Ignis.”  His fingers tightened around Ignis’.  “You called me darling, and my love.”

  Ignis flushed, ducking his head.  It appeared Noct wanted to at least begin the conversation they needed to have.  But Ignis wasn’t going to derail Noct’s recovery, so he felt that the true depths of what needed to be discussed should wait.

  “I did,” he admitted.  He’d been a mess when he’d said those things, his heart giving voice to how he felt.

  “And I want to hear you say it again, but…maybe not just yet,” Noct said, turning his face back, weary eyes finding Ignis’.  “I need to…sort myself out before I can hear them.”

  Ignis understood that.

  He would wait.

  After all, Noct had been waiting for him to come to terms with how he felt.  It was the least he could do.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A far fluffier chapter.  
> A flustered Ignis  
> A pair of troll dads  
> A kiss or two  
> The song quoted in this chapter is Crazy=Genius by Panic at the Disco and the Duscaen dance is actually the Charleston in part, mixed with a fast waltz

  As Noct went through detox and therapy, Ignis busied himself thinking of ways to bring joy into Noct’s life through simple things, little snippets of happiness that when woven together showed Noct that there was peace to be found without going to extravagant lengths.

  Regis took extra time out of his schedule to dine with Noct, putting his foot down when pressed to change the dinners in favour of something else, anything else.  It became a regular thing and Ignis could see that Noct warmed to it, more relaxed around his father than he had been for a very long time.

  Noct would come back each time with stories that Regis had told him, little things that no-one else knew, including information long withheld about his mother.

  “He said I’m like her, Iggy,” Noct told him, a soft smile on his face.  “I can only just remember her, it’s more like a feeling of…warmth.  Dad said she was like that, every one felt it around her, she even managed to make Cor smile.”

  “Well, that is certainly a feat to be proud of,” Ignis chuckled.  “I do wonder sometimes what Cor smiling would look like.”

  “Ha, me too,” Noct snorted.  “Dad said he smiled when I was born too, if you can believe it.”

  “I can,” Ignis said, “he’s always been fond of you.”

  The _and so am I_ went unsaid, but apparently Noct noticed it anyway judging by the little coy smile thrown his way.

  “It’s nice, y’know, Dad doing this, despite _why_  he’s been doin’ it.”

  “Noct, he’s always wanted to spend time with you, it’s just he let duty get in the way of it and now he’s not,” Ignis soothed, his desperate need to mother-hen Noct into good mental and physical health winning over for the moment.

  “Yeah, I think I’m getting that.”

  Ignis beamed at that.  The fact Noct was loved and worthy of that love finally starting to get through.

  Progress.

  Rather than continue the conversation and have it head to areas neither was quite ready for, Ignis clapped his hands together, “how about we find something fun to do.”

  Then he waited to see if Noct would come up with something himself.

  He was rewarded with a shy smile.

  “Could you take me fishing?”

  Oh, yes, Ignis most definitely could do that.  One it would allow Noct some quiet time doing something he adored.  And two, Ignis would be able to simply watch Noct while he was happy.

  “Absolutely, Noct, anywhere in particular you would like to go?  I am sure I can get permission to leave the city boundaries.”

  Noct’s eyes lit up, warmth spilling through Ignis’ chest at the sight of a happy Noct.

  “Really?”  Noct squirmed like an eager puppy.  “What about Crestholm, the resevoir has a good spot?”

  “No trouble at all, Noct,” Ignis assured him.

  There _was_  a little trouble over it, but Ignis went directly over everyone’s head and straight to the source, taking his request to Regis and Clarus.

  “I will ensure his safety, Your Majesty,” Ignis added after he had presented the plan to both men.  When he saw a slight wavering and an exchanged glance between the two, Ignis rushed into the silence, “it’s just…it’s the first time he has suggested something on his own, and it is peaceful there…”  He trailed off as he noted the exchange of glances again.

  Clarus gave him a diabolical grin, “I wonder if we should send Gladiolus with you, as a chaperone.”

  Ignis blinked, unable to detect whether he was being teased or if it were a genuine concern.

  “Don’t tease the boy, Clarus,” Regis scolded.  “Ignis is perfectly capable of protecting Noct on his own, they won’t be going far…and as Ignis has not yet broached the subject of a _relationship_  with Noct, I doubt anything will happen.”  He winked slyly at Ignis, “at least, not much.”

  Ignis gaped at the King, “I…I…we…um…”

  Clarus snorted, “did you just manage to make Ignis say ‘um’?”

  “I did,” Regis crowed, extraordinarily pleased with himself as he sat back, hands steepled in front of him.  “I noticed the distinct use of ‘we’ in there, but I missed the ‘um’, thank you for pointing that out, Clarus.”

  “Your welcome, Regis,” Clarus grinned.  “I do like to be useful.”

  Ignis shoved his glasses up his nose, trying to maintain some decorum, or rather, __find__  some.  He was utterly flabbergasted.  He shut his mouth with a snap and fidgeted with his gloves.

  “Your Majesty…I…”  Flustered as he was, Ignis swore softly under his breath.

  “Oh ho, now we’ve made him swear,” Regis chuckled, thoroughly enjoying Ignis’ discomfort and almost made him swear a second time, narrowly avoiding doing so by biting his lip.

  “I apologise, Your Majesty,” Ignis muttered with a bow.

  Regis waved it away with a flip of his hand, “no need, Ignis.

  Clarus clapped Ignis on the shoulder, “I’ll organise a pass for the two of you.”

  “Th…Thank you, I am sure Noctis will appreciate it,” Ignis murmured, trying to put his riotous thoughts in order.

  “Monica will have it ready for you soon, I’ll message when it’s done,” Clarus continued.

  Ignis bowed, hiding the flush to his face as he turned to take his leave of the King and Shield…and the conversation.

  Unfortunately Regis wasn’t letting him go without one last parting shot.

  “Oh, and Ignis, when you _are_  ready to discuss the _other_ issue, my door will be open to you,” Regis grinned, hazel eyes twinkling in amusement.

  “Right, yes, ahhh…thank you,” Ignis mumbled as he fled to the sound of laughter.

 

  In the state he was in, it took Ignis a moment or three to actually realise that Regis hadn’t sounded disappointed at the prospect of Ignis entering a romantic relationship with his son.  In fact, from the teasing he would have said it was the exact opposite.

  As a result he was utterly distracted as he drove out of the city and along the southern bridge towards their destination.  Noct kept shooting him questioning glances, but Ignis merely tried to smile and continued driving.  The only sounds in the car were the strains of music from the stereo.

  Once Ignis parked the car near the border crossing, Noct jumped out, big grin on his face as he pulled his fishing gear out of the back, striding off in the direction of the spot he’d spoken of, Ignis trailing behind him watching the way Noct glanced about eagerly.

  It had been so long since he’d seen Noct like that, so excited, joy radiating from him.

  He was stunning.

  Noct turned his head, showing Ignis his profile, blue eyes shining, crinkled at the corners, onyx hair glinting in the sunlight.  Noct’s eyes fluttered shut, his chest rising in a deep inhale of breath.  When he opened his eyes again, there was something so peaceful about him that it stole Ignis’ breath.

  “Thanks for this, Iggy.”

  Ignis beamed, matching Noct’s smile, “it’s my pleasure, Noct.  Now go catch me a fish so I can cook it for you.”

  Noct laughed, unbridled as he trotted down the stairs.

  Ignis hitched the box full of ice in his hand, blanket over his shoulder, and followed like he was on a leash.

  Noct was kneeling on the little dock, rifling through his tackle box as Ignis put the ice box down, selecting lures and setting them aside.  Ignis laid the blanket out and sat down, assessing their surroundings.  It was enclosed by huge walls, hiding them from the rest of the world.  Intimate, private.

  Closing his eyes, Ignis leaned back on his hands, sighing contentedly as a slight breeze ruffled his hair.

  The sound of a whirr and a soft splash alerting him to the fact that Noct had cast his line out.

  Silence ruled for a long time, only punctuated by Noct humming to himself as he switched out lures.  He’d caught one fish so far, which he promptly threw back as it wasn’t particularly edible.

  “Yes!” Noct exclaimed a while later. Pulling the rod back with a jerk to secure the hook, grinning back at Ignis as he began the process of reeling it in.  Ignis rose and stood beside him, peering into the water, clear as crystal.  He could see a flash of colour, the water rippling as the fish came close to the surface.  It was putting up a valiant fight, but Noct was determined, tongue poking out the side of his mouth, eyes bright as he drew it closer and closer.

  “What is it?” Ignis asked, glancing to Noct.

  “Hmm,” Noct hummed as he reeled furiously for a moment.  “I think it’s probably a Lucian Carp of some sort, maybe a Dawn from the colour.”  He flicked blue eyes to Ignis for a moment, grin still plastered on his face, “good eating.”

  Ignis chuckled, “King of Fishing, indeed,” he said affectionately.

  Noct snorted, but the slight flush to his cheeks told Ignis he was secretly pleased.

  They were both tugged back to the matter at hand, namely one struggling fish as it leapt and splashed close to the dock.

  “Almost got it,” Noct mumbled, pulling back on the rod to help tire the fish the last little bit.

  “Do you require the net?” Ignis asked, bending to retrieve it.

  “Yeah,” Noct bit out as the fish put up it’s last resistance.

  Between the two of them they got it onto the dock, flapping about wildly.  Ignis peered down at it, adjusting his glasses.  It had quite lovely colouring now that he could see it properly.  No wonder it was called a Dawn Lucian Carp.

  Noct dropped the rod, extracting the hook and set about getting it ready to put on ice.

  He leaned back on his hands once it was safely stowed away, seemingly content to just sit for a bit, grinning in triumph at Ignis.

  “Thanks for bringing me here, Iggy,” Noct said softly.

  Ignis reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Noct’s ear, “I am glad to do so, I am enjoying seeing you smile.”

  Noct turned his head into Ignis’ palm, “it’s even better being here just with you.”

  “I agree,” Ignis whispered.  Taking a deep breath, he lifted his eyes to find Noct watching him intently, “I know we haven’t really talked yet, but I wonder…would you mind if I…kissed you?”

  In answer Noct shuffled closer, placing his hand on Ignis’ thigh, his eyes going dark as his lashes fluttered.  Gods, that look did things to Ignis.  It was seductive in it’s vulnerability.  Ignis stroked his cheek, leaning in slowly.

  “You are so beautiful,” Ignis murmured, breath hitching at the blatant adoration in Noct’s gaze.

  Noct flushed, flicking his eyes down.  Ignis tipped his head back up, closing the last bit of distance, pressing their lips together sweetly.  Noct moaned thickly, his hands coming up to frame Ignis’ face as he moved his mouth against Ignis’.  Ignis shifted even closer, his other hand finding Noct’s waist, parting his lips a fraction, Noct copying the motion as the kiss deepened, languid, sensual.

  It was wonderful, heady in it’s sweetness.

  When they finally parted, it was only to rest their foreheads together.

 

  After the success of the fishing trip Ignis was riding on a bit of a high, unable to stop the smile on his face from breaking out whenever he was in Noct’s vicinity.

  And he had another idea.

  Noct normally loathed dancing, especially waltzes, but he had enjoyed one particular dance that Ignis had taught him years before, the pair of them often dissolving into fits of giggles as they watched their moves in the floor to ceiling mirror that graced the room they practised in.

  It was another simple joy that Ignis wanted to recreate for the Prince, and if it meant the pair being alone, well…

  He wanted to build a new foundation for their relationship, not one of duty and being Noct’s Chamberlain and Advisor, though that would remain, it would be separate to this new side of them.

  Searching through Noct’s music collection, he thought he’s found the perfect song, a quick tempo, brass wound throughout that suited it down to the ground.  Snagging the CD Ignis grabbed Noct’s hand and hushed him.

  “You’ll see,”was his enigmatic answer to all of Noct’s questions.

  Noct rolled his eyes but allowed Ignis to keep hold of his hand.  When they paused in front of a door he hadn’t been through in a long time.  He frowned at Ignis, puzzled as to why they were here.

  “Iggy?”

  Ignis bit his lip and pushed the door open, “I promise you’ll enjoy this.”

  Noct grimaced, “I hate dancing Ignis, you know that.”

  “Ahh, but there was one that you had fun doing.”  He closed the door behind his Prince with a soft click.  “Do you remember?”

  Noct turned to him, realisation dawning.

  “The Duscaen?”  Noct’s eyes had widened comically.  “Really?”

  Ignis sniggered at the response, “yes, really.”  He strolled casually to the stereo system and inserted the disc, adjusting the volume so it’s enough for Noct and himself to hear but not disturb anyone and have them running to interrupt.

  Ignis really does not want to be interrupted at this moment.

  He cued up the song he wanted, pocketed the remote and swept into a bow, “may I have this dance?”  He held his hands out and Noct slid his own into his hold.

  The music started and they were away.

  Twisting on the balls of their feet as they moved backwards and forwards together, bouncing with each step of the lively dance, fluid and in synch as they had always been after years of practise together.  Just as they had then, they interspersed the simple steps of the Duscaen with other steps, moving into a fast paced waltz, swirling together around the floor.  Then Ignis shifted back to the original dance, guiding Noct back and forth.

  With a little push, Ignis spun Noct out and then back in, Noct throwing his head back in unbridled laughter.  Ignis revelled in the sound of it, leading them around the floor in another waltzing movement.

  Eyes locked, Ignis dipped Noct back, the Prince’s eyes going wide.  He pulled him back up into his hold, ducking his head to brush their lips together before they were off around the room once more.

  When Ignis spun him out and back again, they stilled in the centre of the room, Noct surging up to plant a more forceful kiss to Ignis lips before he pushed back and they resumed their bouncing steps in time.

  It was Ignis who laughed this time, pulling Noct against himself as they continued.

  _“Other boys you may have dated serrated your heart with a slice_

_But the cut of your love never hurts.  Baby it’s a sweet butter knife.”_

The music swelled up around them as they stared at each other, chests heaving with the exertion of the fast paced dance.  And something else.

  Ignis released Noct’s hands, cupping his face, he met Noct’s mouth.  He parted his lips, darting his tongue out to swipe it over Noct’s.  Noct opened for him, flicking their tongues together.

  The song finished and they were still caught up in it, another starting and finishing before they pulled apart.  Ignis stroked Noct’s face reverently, taking in the blush painting his cheeks.

  “I love you, Noct,” he whispered.

  Noct gazed up at him, blue eyes beautiful and dark under the sweep of his thick lashes.

  “I know,” he replied softly.  “I love you too.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

  Honey, Ignis thinks, Noctis’ love is like honey.  Warm and sweet, dripping down slowly into Ignis’ heart and soul.  Sticking there and not letting go.

  Ignis was delighted to be caught.

  As sticky as the mess might be.

  He straightened his spine, hesitating outside Regis’ office, knuckled poised to knock, but somehow unable to made his hand move to strike the surface.

  “You can enter, Ignis,” Regis called out.

  Ignis’ eyes went wide behind his glasses.  How the fuck did he do that?  He lowered his hand, twisting the door knob instead of knocking redundantly.  Regis was sitting behind his desk, hands in his lap and he leaned back in his chair, a look of expectation on his face.  Two wine glasses and an opened bottle.

  “Your Majesty,” Ignis sputtered, cheeks pink.

  A small knowing smile quirked the King’s lips through his beard, gesturing to the chair opposite his own.

  “How are you Ignis?  How is my son today?”  A little twinkle flashed in Regis’ eyes and Ignis knew that his King knew exactly why he was there.

  He gave a resigned sigh, raising his eyes, “I do not need to make my request, do I?  You are already aware of what I wish to ask.”

  Regis chuckled, “and that’s why I like you Ignis.”  The King flashed him a smile.  “So, I am correct in my assumption then?”

  Ignis made an indistinguishable sound of distress.  Why was the King like this?

  Regis rose from his desk and skirted around it, seating himself beside Ignis, placing a hand on his shoulder, “calm down, Ignis, I’m not likely to bite.”  He leaned closer consiprationally, “I made sure Clarus wouldn’t be present for this.  I knew you would want to do this in private.”  He leaned across to the two empty glasses, pouring for them both, handing one to Ignis.

  And poor flustered Ignis swallowed for too much, almost choking while Regis chuckled.

  “Thank you, Sire,” Ignis murmured, glancing fleetingly at Regis smiling at him.  He sucked in a deep breath.  “I know what I ask is…unconventional and possibly…no definitely a protocol issue, however, I…”  Another overly large mouthful of wine.

  “Ignis,” Regis interrupted with a shake of his head.  “I consider you family already, and protocol be damned, this involves my son’s happiness.”  Regis finally took his own sip of wine, sighing softly at the taste.

  Ignis hadn’t eaten before coming, too afraid of vomiting the contents of his stomach onto Regis’ desk or his shoes or the damnably expensive carpet.  He regretted that choice now, wine roiling in his empty stomach and he can’t seem to stop drinking from the nerves.  Another swallow, a slight buzz threading through his veins not unlike the feeling he had when ever he kissed Noctis.  He looked at the now empty glass in shock.  Astrals, Regis is going to think him some sort of sot.

  All Regis does is refill his glass silently.

  Ignis carefully brought the glass to his lips, sipping a much more delicate amount and leaning his back against the chair with a sigh.

  Regis smiled from behind his own glass at the more relaxed pose.

  “Ignis, I know you well, and I know you would never harm my son.”  He placed his glass down.  “You care for him deeply, I can see that.  And around you, Noctis relaxes.  He lets himself…be.”

  “I only wish for him to be happy, Your Grace,” Ignis murmured, careful with his words.

  “My only concern is that he will become dependant on you for that happiness and not allow himself to feel it any other way.”

  “Oh,” Ignis muttered, trying to follow Regis’ thoughts on the subject.  

  “He is doing well in therapy, yet he has still not addressed why he went to such lengths before.”  Regis’ expression turned pensive.  “Has he told you?”

  “Not in so many words, he’s reluctant to speak of it and I have not wanted to push him on the subject,” Ignis admitted.  “He has such a low opinion of himself and it pains me to hear him speak of himself in derogatory terms.”

  Regis sighed again, “I feel some of that is my doing, holding him at arms length when I should have held him close.  I thought to raise a prince and forgot I was also raising a son.  I kept far too much from him in regards to his mother.”  Another deep sigh.  “He takes after her so much, including his stature, he has the same svelte build, I think that weighs on him also.  He doesn’t realise he has her strength to match it.  Everything was thrust on him whether he wanted it or not.”

  “He puts up a wall around himself, a wall of false bravado when he thinks he will be judged for not grasping something quickly, pretends it doesn’t worry him when it really does.”

  “Yes, exactly.”  Regis grimaced, “I have not given him the praise he deserves nor told him just how well he __is__ doing.  He is further along in some of his studies than I was at the same age.  My own training focused on the martial side of Kingship and ruling, he grasps the delicacies of political wrangling far better than I did.  As well as being accomplished in the training arena.”

  Ignis hummed thoughtfully, “if I may…”  Regis nodded his consent.  “Have you considered telling him such?”

  Regis grimaced, “I do not wish to tell him now and have him think I am doing it as appeasement.”

  Ignis ducked his head, “I think we need to be honest with him, I know that I caused him pain through my hesitance to express myself with him.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes, mulling it all over.

  Regis cleared his throat and Ignis snapped his head up, slightly dizzy from too much wine.

  “ _Have_  you expressed how you feel to Noctis?”

  The question was tentative, Ignis blushing furiously as he fiddled with his glass.   

  He swallowed his nerves, “ahh, yes, I have,” he admitted, trying to will away the heat in his cheeks through pure force of will.

  Regis smiled softly, apparently getting the answer he wanted.  “I already know how he feels about you.”

  The blush wasn’t going to leave Ignis’ cheeks any time soon.

  “Can I…may we…may I have permission to…”  He faltered, any thing he had planned to say flown out the window, despite the fact it was closed against the burgeoning winter winds.

  “Ignis, my permission isn’t all that important in this,” Regis chided gently.  “It is my son who must answer that for you and I think we both know his thoughts on the subject.”  He held up his hand to halt Ignis’ oncoming protest.  “However, I know you and yes, you have my permission as well.”

  Ignis slumped in his seat, all the tension leaving his body, glancing at Regis, “thank you,” he whispered.

  Regis raised his brows at Ignis, “did you think I would decline?”

  “I…I don’t know, I have been so…I told myself I wasn’t approaching him because of what he is…I pushed aside __who__  he is and who you are…I’m not being very coherent.”

  Regis laughed at that, clapping a hand on Ignis’ shoulder, “why do you think I gave you wine?  The only time I see you like this is around Noctis.”

  Ignis snorted, “yes, well, wine has nothing to do with why I feel so inebriated right now.”

  Regis laughed merrily, “and that Ignis, that is why you are perfect for Noctis.”

 

  Noct sat across from Ignis, both of them with their legs folded underneath, squarely facing each other on Noct’s bed.

  In the months since Noct’s suicide attempt their relationship in private spaces had completely shifted.  They no longer danced around any subject, bar one.

  Or, actually two, but Ignis was more than willing to wait on the second, let it evolve naturally and from the way they were now, he didn’t think it would be long in coming.  There was a tension to the pair that was far from uncomfortable, more eager anticipation.

  But the first subject, that was something Ignis wanted to address now.

  And the conversation was less of a minefield than it had been, however Ignis still proceeded carefully, ever mindful of Noct’s mental health.

  “You want to ask,” Noct said quietly, head down.

  Ignis leaned forward, tipping Noct’s head back up with a long finger under his chin, “I will only ask if you are ready to speak to me about it.  I wish for you to feel you can speak to me about anything, love.”

  Big blue eyes trained on Ignis, trusting, “yeah, it’s ok, I don’t want to keep things from you.”

  Ignis sucked in a deep breath, “thank you, I know this is hard for you to discuss.”

  “Not with you, not any more.”

  Ignis bit his lip at the assertion, the conviction in Noct’s tone.  He shuffled closer, letting his thigh enclose Noct, taking hold of his hands, while Noct shifted and settled his own thighs over Ignis’.

  Ignis’ thoughts tumbled, swirling around his head, trying to formulate the correct way to ask the question.

  In the end he settled for simplicity.

  “Why?”

  Noct grimaced, flicking his eyes away momentarily, then back with a heavy sigh.  “It’s…it was a lot of things, but I need you to know, it wasn’t what was going on with us…at least it wasn’t the sole thing.  In my head at the time, it was…it just cemented what I had been feeling about myself.”

  Ignis’ stomach dropped, gripping tighter to Noct’s hands, “Noct…”

  “No, Ignis, no, don’t…my head was already in a bad place, a really bad place, everything compacted and I was trying to…I was forcing you into something you weren’t ready for and honestly, I wasn’t either.”  He sighed when Ignis relaxed a little.  “I thought being with you would fix things, but it wouldn’t have.  I get that now.”

  “And now?  How do you feel now?” Ignis asked timidly.

  A smile bloomed on Noct’s face, “I…I get what every one has been trying to tell me, I’m not…I’m better at shit than I thought, I’m not useless…and I think when Dad’s ready to step down, I’ll be able to rule without burning the place to ashes.  At least, I’m getting there.”  He shot Ignis a shy smile.

  “Yes, I think you are,” Ignis stroked his cheek.  “I am so happy to hear you speak so.”

  Noct’s lips twisted in a wry grin, “yeah well, I’ve had help, lots of it.  Therapy has been great for that, but everyone else too.  Prom gets me out of my head when he sees me thinking to much, Gladio too in his grumpy ass way.  Dad, he’s opened up so much and it’s helped me do the same.  We can talk about stuff now.”  He paused, “and you, you’ve been there to just…support me.  You never push, you just…I don’t even know how to explain it, but knowing you’re there and we don’t have to say anything…You let me be me.”

  “I love who you are, Noct, every part of you,” Ignis whispered, fingers gliding down Noct’s jaw and across to his lips.

  Noct pursed his lips, kissing the tips of Ignis’ fingers, butterfly light, Ignis’ name a whisper.

  Ignis’ heart skipped in his chest, his breath hitching, feeling the colour bloom on his cheeks as Noct shuffled forward, wrapping his legs around Ignis’ waist so that they were nose to nose, chest to chest, and most certainly, groin to groin.  He bit back the moan that tickled the back og his throat in favour of settling his hands on Noct’s hips, thumbs stroking over the jut of bone..

  “I love you, Ignis, I really love you,” Noct whispered against Ignis’ lips.  “And I need you to know that I feel…that you’re not going to fix me, that’s not what I want for us.”  Noct took a deep breath and Ignis held his tongue, waiting for his Prince to continue.  “I want us to have a healthy relationship, I don’t want it to be one sided or for you to be constantly worried about me.”

  Ignis brought a hand up to comb his fingers through the ink black silk of Noct’s hair, “I want that for us too, darling.”  Placing a quick kiss to Noct’s lips, he pulled back to look at him properly, “all relationships take work, I don’t want perfect Noct, I never have.  I just want you.  With everything that means.  I’m not without faults, my love, but together I think we make a good team.”

  The smile that crept over Noct’s face, lighting his eyes, warmed Ignis to his core, even more so when Noct cupped his face and pressed a kiss to his mouth.  Ignis mewled, leaning into the kiss, parting his lips for Noct, flicking their tongues together in a dance that was delightfully familiar and shockingly new at the same time.

  Every time he kissed Noct, Ignis felt…he couldn’t explain it.  It was as if he’d been doing it all his life, yet he enjoyed the exploratory nature of each one.  And the anticipation that would settle in his stomach, coiling with the thought that each kiss could lead to something more.

  Interlocked the way they were, Ignis fell back, taking Noct with him so that he lay back against the pillows, Noct above him, secure in his arms, kiss after kiss peppered over the skin of his jaw, down his neck and back up to already swollen lips.  It made them tingle pleasantly, even more so when Noct suckled them between his own, turning Ignis into a trembling mess under his Prince.

  He felt somewhat soothed to feel Noct shuddering above him, over him as he ground his hips down, sliding his erection against Ignis’ own hardened length trapped in his pants.  Encouraging, Ignis let his hands walk down Noct’s back to the flexing globes of his ass, cupping the flesh, pulling him in closer as their mouths met again.

  Ignis chased Noct’s mouth when he pulled away, both of them breathing hard.

  “Fuck, Ignis,” his voice hoarse and absolutely delicious to Ignis’ ears.  To hear the out and out lust and desire in his tone and know that it was all directed at Ignis, caused by Ignis, it had his stomach tightening, his veins alight.

  He gripped Noct’s ass harder, holding him in place, canting his own hips up to meet him, the friction enough to elicit a deep vibrating moan from Noct and a needy growl from his own throat.

  Nibbling and mouthing at Noct’s ear, “I want you.”

  Noct melted against him with a whine, “yeah, yeah, me too.”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the delay in the addition of this final chapter, my muse has been less than forthcoming recently and life has been less that co-operative. I know it is not quite what I wanted, however, if I looked at it much longer I was likely to scrap it in frustration. I may come back to it later and adjust it with a fresh eye.

 

 

  Ignis has never sung praise quite like he does as Noct slides a slick finger into his ass.

  He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to, which he does not, he knows from the wide eyes of Noct that he’s drinking in every sound that he makes.  His body is an instrument for Noct to play his erotic symphony on, an instrument that was exceedingly receptive and responsive.

  At first Ignis had wanted desperately to be the one to take Noct apart and put him back together, the pair initially arguing politely about who would be doing what, as ridiculous as that was.

  Then Noct had taken Ignis’ hands, peering up into his face imploringly, big blue eyes fixing Ignis into place.

  “I want to show you how much I love you.”

  The words had struck Ignis with the force of a hammer and suddenly he couldn’t imagine anything else but having Noct lay him back and open him up with tender touches.  And those blue eyes, how could he say no to those.

  The reality, as was often the case with Noctis, was incredibly wonderful.  Ignis was a drooling mess of a man by the time Noct had kissed his way down his chest to his stomach, fingers dancing over his skin, leaving little trails in their wake that shot over him like fireworks.  He felt delightfully debauched and filthy in the very best way.

  And his tongue!

  Gods, Ignis had developed a deep abiding appreciation of Noct’s tongue, thinking there was nothing he loved more than being splayed out on the sheets, thighs spread, exposed and vulnerable, Noct’s face pressed into his ass, licking at him like he was starving.

  He mewled and keened, writhing and grinding his ass into Noct’s face, whimpering, his cock drooling on his stomach as it flexed with each twitch of his body, Noct prising his cheeks apart, licking and then driving his tongue in through the furled ring of his ass.  Wet and warm and oh so mobile, slicking his insides and making him positively ache for more.  It had Ignis fisting his hands in the bed covers, arching his back up off the surface, head thrown back, mouth open as he gasped.  Noct pressed his nose against Ignis’ perineum, licking and sucking at his ass, Ignis bucking frantically.  He reached down, tangling his fingers in Noct’s hair to urge him up.  Noct pulled away, licking his lips lewdly making Ignis groan at the sight of his slick pink mouth.

  “Come here, my love,” Ignis murmured huskily, his voice rough.  Noct climbed up over him, letting his warm skin skim over Ignis sweat slick body, nuzzling as he went.  When he laid over him, Noct reached out with one hand as he dropped to the side, fumbling in the bedside drawer blindly as he stole Ignis’ breath with another kiss.

  Noct gave a little hum of triumph, brandishing a bottle of lubricant.

  Ignis bit his lip, nodding frantically, ever so eager to be as close as possible to Noct, in every way he could.  They were crossing a line they’d both held back from for so long, building up their emotional relationship, ensuring Noct was ready, and Ignis too.  It was a big step for both of them.

  Ignis wanted to leap over that line, Noct’s hand clasped in his own, face whatever was to come.

  Most of all, right now, he was so aroused he felt like he might just climax the moment Noct was inside him, and Noct himself, he kept bloody teasing him, nudging him closer and closer to the abyss without actually penetrating him.  It made him whine in frustration, clamp down greedily on the finger that Noct slid into his ass, exploring, testing, ignoring Ignis’ insistence that he was more than ready.

He knew he was hot and tight around Noct’s finger, he’d tried to relax himself to make it easier, but he still had heard Noct’s hiss at the clench, a clench Ignis could not help, any more than he could help the wanton moan that left him.  Sliding his own hand down his taut stomach, down between his legs to where Noct was pumping him finger in and out slowly, Ignis added one of his own, unable to wait and insatiably curious to feel Noct’s finger alongside his own.

  Noct let out a low groan, eyes fixed on Ignis’ ass where their tangled fingers moved in and out, in and out.  When he looked up at Ignis, his eyes were so dark Ignis couldn’t make out the slate blue.  He had a feeling he was returning an equally lustful expression.  His cheeks were hot, he felt the expanding flush down his chest, his thighs were trembling, his hips he couldn’t keep still, desperate to rock down on their combined fingers, stretch himself open.

“Fuck, Ignis,” Noct growled, “you’re makin’ it hard to go slow.”

“Mmm,” Ignis hummed as their fingers struck a sweet spot.  “You needn’t do that…oh…go slow…ahhhh…”

Noct stilled, “but…I wanted it to be perfect, special…memorable.”

Ignis moaned at the sudden lack of stimulation, “Noct, darling, it’s already perfect, it’s you and I.  That’s all I need to make it special…and memorable.  Gods, it could be a quickie in a closet and it would be memorable.”

“Speccy,” Noct hissed, scandalised, which to Ignis was intensely amusing.

Ignis fixed him with a determined look, “put it in, __now__!”  He reached up and stroked Noct’s cheek to soften his harsh tone, “I need you.”

“Fuck,” Noct grunted as Ignis thrust his hips up, punctuating his point.  He fumbled with the bottle of lube, hurriedly coating himself, eyes locked with Ignis’ as they adjusted and Noct lined up.  “Ready?”

“Very, very ready,” Ignis insisted, wrapping long legs around Noct’s waist, canting his hips up, encouraging.

Noct took a deep bracing breath and pushed forward until the head of his cock eased through the rim.  Ignis whined, head tipped back, clutching at the covers under him.

“Ok?”

Ignis laughed, low and rough, “oh, yes, now come here,” he demanded.

Noct growled out a harsh “fuck” when he bottomed out, Ignis clenching and convulsing around him fitfully.

Ignis was in heaven, Noct inside him, above him, his cologne wafting to his nose, his kisses pressed to his lips, his love spoken into his ear.  They lay like that for a long moment, Ignis adjusting, Noct trying to breathe and calm his heart rate.

Then Noct began to move, slow, measured rolls of his hips.

Ignis couldn’t stop the sounds coming from him, didn’t even wish to, he wanted Noct to be fully aware of how wonderful he felt, how loved he was making Ignis feel.  He didn’t care that they were both far too keyed up for it to last long, that didn’t matter.  They would have the time and patience to explore each other completely another time, because there would most definitely be other times.

Ignis pleaded hoarsely, calling out Noct’s name, blunt fingernails digging divots into Noct’s skin as he met each thrust with a cant of his own hips.

“Oh, Noct!”  Ignis arched, his prostate brushed over, desire fizzing in his veins, blood roaring in his ears as he clenched around the length inside him, filling him.  “There, there…ohhh.”

Noct mouthed at the expanse of his neck, panting, “you feel so fucking good, Baby.”

Ignis’ climax barrelled down on him so fast he hardly had time to warn Noct, little more than a prolonged moan leaving him before his whole body tensed, thighs quaking, stomach coiled like a spring wound too tight, his vision going white as he spilled over his stomach, untouched.

Noct’s answering groan was music to his ears, whispering encouragement, endearments as Noct pounded into him, chasing his own orgasm.

Panting together, side by side, Ignis could not keep the smile off his face, cupping Noct’s cheeks, thumbs sweeping over cheekbones flushed pink.

“I love you, Noct,” Ignis whispered into disordered inky locks.

Noct nuzzled into him, “I love you too, Ignis.”

 

Regis simply could not be trusted, Ignis thought.

Since he and Noct had embarked on a more open relationship, Regis had been practically vibrating with excitement, something he could only show around a select group of people.  Those being people that Noct and Ignis had informed of their relationship.  That made family dinners very interesting to say the least.

Regis delighted in teasing his son, all good natured and Noct took it in the spirit it was delivered.  Ignis, unused to such teasing found he spent the majority of the time, head down, hiding his scarlet cheeks while Clarus, Cor, and Gladio snickered in amusement.  Regis acted innocent and Noct looked pained.

When Noct leaned over to comfort Ignis, stroking his cheek, they both blinked at the bright flash from Regis’ phone, noting the King’s devious look.  It didn’t bode well, that look never did.  Even Clarus seemed concerned, then shook his head when Regis showed him his phone screen.  Clarus actually bit his lip and glanced at Ignis and Noctis.

“This was not my idea,” Clarus warned and Ignis experienced the feeling of his stomach dropping into his shoes.  Regis appeared extraordinarily pleased with himself.

“It was about time, rumours have been circulating for months, I am merely setting the record straight.  I did warn my son I would do this.”

Noct’s eyes went wide, mouth agape as he looked between his father and his boyfriend.

Ignis panicked.  His heart rate climbing, “Noct, what does he mean?”

“He’s fucking outing us!”

Ignis felt lightheaded, blinking to clear his vision, “oh,” was all he could muster.

The room fell silent as everyone’s phones announced a notification.

Ignis was too scared to look.

Noct groaned beside him, “Dad, seriously?”

That moved Ignis to pick his own phone up and assess how bad it was.

A photo of him and Noct, obviously intimate, obviously romantically involved, the Prince stroking his cheek with a soft expression, Ignis’ own equally adoring, leaning into each other with a caption underneath.

**_**_A lovely family dinner with my son and his boyfriend._ ** _ **

Well, that could hardly be misconstrued.

Ignis, despite the fact he was going to be fielding requests for interviews in the foreseeable future, actually thought the photo was a good one.

“May I have a copy of that?” he asked Regis.

Regis snorted, “well, that was not the reaction I expecting, “ he muttered before sending Ignis his own copy.  Ignis immediately made it his home screen picture.  Regis gave the pair a devious smile, “if you look, I only shared it with a select group, I just thought I would give you a nudge, Noctis.”

Noct narrowed his eyes at his father, “asshole, I thought that went out to everyone.”

Clarus and Cor swivelled their heads between father and son, enjoying the show while Gladio hid a guffaw of laughter behind his hand.  Ignis was still looking at the photo.

 

Noct’s solution to the problem was to post a rather more subdued photo, not even showing their faces, but a shot of their hands entwined with a little heart as the only caption.

Lucis went nuts.

Especially when Regis commented on his son’s photo, expressing his pleasure.

Then everyone else felt it was fair game to leave their congratulations, never mentioning Ignis’ name, but his own comment was conspicuous by it’s absence.  It didn’t take long for the public to catch on to that and start speculating.

Ignis had discussed it with Noct extensively, wanting to make it public in a polite, classy way, rather than outright confirming it, so he had and Noct took another picture of their hands, this time making a heart and he posted that.

It was all the public needed.

Thankfully his number wasn’t public, so he was able to dodge most of the furore, and avoided more still by using his quarters in the Citadel for a few months, not that he spent a lot of time there.  Although, that move seemed to be even more confirmation for the people of Lucis.

The reaction was overall refreshingly good, only a few questioning Ignis’ motives.  Ignis had been amused to see Prompto defending him vociferously, shutting them down and garnering more support for their relationship in the process.

He and Noct hadn’t ventured out in public together yet, maintaining a professional demeanour when they were anywhere that someone might see, relaxing only when they entered Noct’s rooms or suffered through Regis’ weekly family dinner.

It was six months after they both posted their photos that Regis actually sent out an official announcement, proclaiming his happiness that his son had found a man worthy of him.  It was shockingly devoid of any of Regis’ usual sneaky tomfoolery.  Lucis had become used to their King’s irreverent sense of humour and when the announcement hit, their was a general sense of secondary pride.  It was as if they were vicariously happy through Regis.  And it was that that caused the public to in the main, respect his request for his son and his boyfriend to be left alone if they went out.  The media even took a step back, not crowding them when they did eventually venture out, but they weren’t given much to work with, neither man given to excessive public displays of affection.  The most that the cameras caught was discrete hand holding.

And through it all, Ignis simply smiled in the face of camera flashes and requests for interviews.  He always declined, politely, bit definitively.  His relationship with Noctis was precious and he refused to put it at risk in any way.

Ignis was happy, Noct was happy and that was all he truly cared about.  And knowing Noct felt better about himself was best of all.  He wasn’t scared that Noct was using him as a crutch, nor was he worried about a repeat of the suicide attempt, he could see his boyfriend taking joy in little things, watching him bloom under Regis’ tutelage.  And while Ignis was still deferential to Regis, he had learnt finally to relax it somewhat, though no matter how much Regis pleaded Ignis point blank refused to call him by name.

“Ignis, I really do think it is about time you used my name, not my titles,” Regis grumbled during one dinner.

“Dad, it’s ok, let him be,” Noct had interjected.

“Noct, darling, it’s alright,” Ignis soothed, stroking Noct’s knuckles.  “I will call your father by name after I have made a specific request.”

Noct frowned at that as did most of the table, but Regis beamed and clapped his hands together, “I’ll have a bottle or two of wine ready for that occasion, Ignis.”

Ignis chuckled, knowing the King had caught on to what his request would be.

And this time, he would make sure to eat something before he went.

Noct gasped beside him, turning blue eyes on Ignis, realisation dawning finally.  He leaned closer, lips brushing Ignis’ ear, “does that mean what I think it does?”

“When we’re ready, my love, I will show you that you will always have my heart.”

Noct flushed that pretty pink that Ignis adored so much, his smile a shy thing, “I already know that, Speccy.”

Ignis swept a thumb over a heated cheek, pressing a light kiss to his lips, “then it shall be my way of shouting it to the world.”

As the conversation around the table continued, Ignis thought about the little velvet box resting in his dresser drawer, waiting patiently and he smiled to himself.  Life wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t need it to be.  The way it was now, full of faults and imperfections, was more than enough for him.

 

       


End file.
